Vardy: Devour Red Bull, antagonise opponents – and get back in the Premier League

Minimal possession but lots of influence, a Red Bull at half-time, an important goal and a bit of swearing – Leicester City are back in the Premier League and so is Jamie Vardy.

And boy, did they need their talisman, who continues to defy his age and write incredible scripts time and time again.

At the ripe old age of 37 and having missed most of pre-season through injury, Vardy even defied manager Steve Cooper’s pre-match prediction, who had expressed doubts over Vardy’s availability for Leicester’s opening game of what was set to be a challenging top-flight campaign.

But if there was any sign that Vardy was fit, he had to play. And not just because Cooper had no other options.

“If the game had been yesterday or Saturday, he certainly wouldn’t have played,” Cooper said. “There was no games or lies going on. I didn’t lie in the press conference. I’ve done that before, but not this time.

“He wasn’t comfortable with the idea that we were going into this game without an experienced striker, with Patson Daka out for three months now, and he (Vardy) is the main man, so he declared himself fit. So go play, lad. No problem.”

Vardy’s opening day record is remarkable. His headed equaliser against Tottenham Hotspur — who will be ruing missed chances in a match they dominated for almost an hour — was his eighth goal on Matchday 1 of the Premier League. Only Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has scored more in Matchweek 1 (nine).

Vardy scores his equalizer against Spurs (Michael Regan/Getty Images)

His first in that series came against Sunderland in 2015, at the start of the season that propelled him to stardom and notoriety, when Tottenham were Leicester’s closest challengers for an unlikely and unbelievable Premier League title.

When Vardy was substituted in the 79th minute, that rivalry, epitomised by Vardy’s reaction in 2016 on Twitter (now X) to Harry Kane, remained fresh in the memory as he pointed to the Tottenham fans, pointing to the Premier League badge on his sleeve and raising a finger to represent the number of titles Leicester had won. He then pointed to the away end and signalled for a zero.

Cristian Romero was also on the receiving end of a chat from Vardy, when he urged the veteran to show more haste when leaving the pitch. Romero is not the first, and will not be the last.

This is, of course, a very different Leicester to the team that defied the bookmakers’ 5,000-1 odds, although Claudio Ranieri’s title-winning team also… been tipped for relegation.

They have collapsed and started this season without the feel-good feeling that promoted teams usually have.

There is still resentment and frustration among some fans at the manner in which they are declining, especially given the threat of a Premier League charge for breaching Profitability and Sustainability (PSR) rules.

There is a broken relationship with the club’s hierarchy. However, there is no such rift between Vardy and the fanbase.

Vardy has been the one true constant through all the triumphs and trials of the last decade. He remains the club’s iconic figure, defying the laws of physics to continue to lead Leicester forward.

He expired in the summer, but he had no intention of ending his illustrious career. While many modern players train privately in sunny climes with teams of fitness coaches to prepare for the new campaign, Vardy continues to do things his way: a family holiday, a bit of gardening and a few beers on the sofa.

Cooper speaks to Vardy after the match (Michael Regan/Getty Images)

When you ask the people around him how he keeps doing what he does, they answer: “He’s a nature freak.”

Ask Vardy, who revealed his secrets to Sky Sports after the match, and he will say: “Tomorrow it’s off-foot, massages, cryotherapy, in the pool, stretching. Then more cryotherapy at home, sauna, an hour in the oxygen tent. It’s a bit boring in the oxygen tent and nine times out of 10 I fall asleep and the kids have to come and find me.”

His manager also gave more details. “He trained for the best part of two weeks and then got injured, only trained once and then played,” Cooper said.

“He’s not normal in terms of what he can still produce at his age and the athlete he still is. He’s still hitting high speeds and in tests on the first day of pre-season and fitness levels. He’s in the top category.”

Eyebrows were raised outside the club when Leicester extended his contract, particularly given their cost-cutting measures to avoid further entanglement with the football authorities. Vardy remains one of the club’s highest-paid players.

But even at his age and with a one-year contract, it makes sense.

Vardy is not only a potential match-winner, he also sets the standard and inspires confidence. Around him are a slew of young players in the forward positions. Behind him against Tottenham was the 19-year-old Argentine Facundo Buonanotte, just over half Vardy’s age, and to his right was the 20-year-old Abdul Fatawu.

To them, he may be a father figure. If he continues to defy all natural logic, he may become a grandfather figure. When he plays, the others know they are fighting a warrior and that builds trust.

Vardy guided the pair and gave them constant instructions during the game. When he wasn’t talking, he was leading by example. He committed himself to every cause and even won a few lost cases.

That electric pace may not be what it once was and he was caught quickly a few times trying to break through the middle, but he still had enough speed to latch onto Buonanotte’s superb pass in the second half. He couldn’t finish the ball to beat Guglielmo Vicario in the Tottenham goal. There were gasps of surprise that the net didn’t bulge.

But Vardy did score the decisive equaliser, heading in a cross 12 minutes into the second half.

Vardy dribbling the ball (Michael Regan/Getty Images)

With Daka injured and Tom Cannon, another youngster trying to learn from Vardy and whom Cooper does not trust, Leicester are trying to bring in another striker before the transfer deadline.

Despite the confirmed signing of defensive midfielder Oliver Skipp from Tottenham in a deal worth over £20 million ($26 million) earlier in the day, Leicester are still keen to do more business. They know they still lack more quality in attack. At times in the first half against Tottenham, that was clearly on display.

They would love to find another Vardy. There isn’t one and it’s unlikely there ever will be one.

However, this Leicester side showed they have heart and fighting spirit, a tenacity to not give up and bow to a superior opponent in those first 45 minutes.

That quality is embodied by their evergreen number 9.

(Top photo: Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)